John and Robert were orphaned brothers whose parents both died of AIDS. They were living on the streets of Kampala, Uganda because their maternal grandmother, Adela, simply could not afford to feed them. Adela lived on a small farm in the rural area outside of Kampala. Reach the Children provided Adela with 2 pregnant goats as part of an animal micro-enterprise project. Adela was able to provide a shelter and enough grass for food for the goats on her small farm. John and Robert came to live with her and helped her with the two goats. As part of the Micro-enterprise scheme, when the goats each gave birth to two kids….Rita was obligated to “pay back” her loan by giving each of the kids to another family that were waiting their turn to be part of the project. As soon as the kids were given away Adela was able to milk the two goats and provide milk for the family. In addition, she was able to make cheese and then she sold the extra milk and some cheese to get needed funds to send John and Robert to school.

In the meantime, Adela and the boys also used the manure produced by the goats to plant a garden where they grew vegetables for supplementing their diet and to sell the extra to friends and neighbors for more needed cash.

Adela used this new cash to buy a few chickens. The chickens soon produced eggs and meat to eat and sell. Some chickens were allowed to nest and many more chicks were hatched. A new chicken business was born.

The goats became pregnant again and these new kids would be kept to add to Adela’s goat herd or to be sold as she needed.

Most important of all, John and Robert now had a safe and happy home with their grandmother. They were able to attend school and work beside her to grow the family businesses. Their future, once bleak and overwhelming, was now looking much brighter and much happier.